There is so much for us to learn about the wonders of God's creation. Together we can increase our knowledge by looking into some of the wonders of life and living. And perhaps by knowing our world better, we can know ourselves better and ultimately, know God better.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Hi Everyone,

Hope each of you are O.K. this morning!

I had been thinking about the expression/word O.K. or Okay. I was thinking that I had heard it interspersed in foreign languages that I have heard spoken--because that was the only part that I understood! Here is what I found out about it at FreeDictionary.com

Word History: OK is a quintessentially American term that has spread from English to many other languages. Its origin was the subject of scholarly debate for many years until Allen Walker Read showed that OK is based on a joke of sorts. OK is first recorded in 1839 but was probably in circulation before that date. During the 1830s there was a humoristic fashion in Boston newspapers to reduce a phrase to initials and supply an explanation in parentheses. Sometimes the abbreviations were misspelled to add to the humor. OK was used in March 1839 as an abbreviation for all correct, the joke being that neither the O nor the K was correct. Originally spelled with periods, this term outlived most similar abbreviations owing to its use in President Martin Van Buren's 1840 campaign for reelection. Because he was born in Kinderhook, New York, Van Buren was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and the abbreviation proved eminently suitable for political slogans. That same year, an editorial referring to the receipt of a pin with the slogan O.K. had this comment: "frightful letters ... significant of the birth-place of Martin Van Buren, old Kinderhook, as also the rallying word of the Democracy of the late election, 'all correct' .... Those who wear them should bear in mind that it will require their most strenuous exertions ... to make all things O.K."Source http://www.thefreedictionary.com/OK

Has anybody seen Santa yet? I've just seen him once or twice so far this year. Maybe he is trying to stay clear of me because he thinks I'll have a long wish list. I really don't though. I might be interested in some new electronic gadget, although I don't know what. I could probably go to the Sharper Image and find something pretty quickly, though. You might enjoy looking at their web site.Sharper ImageNational Geographic online is a wonderful resource for learning about our world--animals, geography, geology and so much more. Their web site is really neat.Hope to see you next time.Love from Mary (Dad's daughter)

I really enjoyed reading about the origin of OK and how it is now used all over the world. Interesting to me to learn that in 1840 it stood for Old Kinderhook (Martin Van Buren), especially since his home Lindenwald estate and his remains are in Kinderhook, less than 30 minutes from my home. It is now a National Park site. Years ago we had Easter dinner in a restaurant in Kinderhook and the house was right there off of Main St...no national park.

As for Santa, I haven't seen him but I have seen some very wide smiles and huge eyes on little children when I am out shopping. I think they may have seen him.

HI MARY, THERE'S A SMALL TOWN IN OKLAHOMA NAMED 'OKAY' , NEAR MUSKOGEE AND I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE NAME CAME ABOUT.

I WAS A CHILD IN THE 1920s, LIVING IN TULSA AT THE TIME AND 'OK' WAS A COMMON EXPRESSION AND FOR EXTRA EMPHASIS ADDED MNX, SAYING OKMNX. DO YOU REMEMBER EVER HEARING OKMNX ? I'LL BET DAD REMEMBERES IT. sam